Optimizing inventory in accordance with a constrained network

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, optimizing inventory includes accessing service level band sets. Each service level band set is associated with a policy group, and includes service level bands. Each service level band of a service level band set has a service level priority with respect to any other service level bands of the same service level band set. An inventory band set is determined for each service level band set. Each inventory band set includes inventory bands, where each inventory band satisfies a corresponding service level band assuming an unconstrained network. Each inventory band of an inventory band set has an inventory priority with respect to any other inventory bands of the same inventory band set. A feasible supply chain plan that satisfies the inventory band sets is generated in order of the inventory priorities until a constrained network is depleted.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/758,303, filed on Apr. 12, 2010, entitled “Optimizing Inventory inAccordance with a Constrained Network”, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,208,467,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/894,248filed on Jul. 19, 2004 entitled “Optimizing Inventory in Accordance witha Constrained Network,” now U.S. Pat. No. 7,721,959. U.S. Pat. Nos.9,208,467 and 7,721,959 are commonly assigned to the assignee of thepresent application. The disclosure of related U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,208,467and 7,721,959 are hereby incorporated by reference into the presentdisclosure as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

This invention relates generally to the field of inventory optimizationand more specifically to optimizing inventory in accordance with aconstrained network.

2. Background

A supply chain supplies products to one or more customers in response todemand. A supply chain may include nodes that store inventory such asthe products or components or materials needed to produce the products.The flow of items through the nodes of a supply chain may be subject tofeasibility constraints. Some known techniques for determining theamount of inventory to maintain at each node take into account thesefeasibility constraints. According to one known technique, the amount ofdemand that may be satisfied with an unconstrained network iscalculated, and the demand is then decreased on an ad hoc basis toaccount for the feasibility constraints. According to another knowntechnique, the flow of items through the supply chain is simulated usingassumptions about the feasibility constraints. These known techniquesfor determining inventory in accordance with feasibility constraints,however, may be inefficient and may fail to provide a desired level ofaccuracy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, one or more disadvantages andproblems associated with previous techniques for optimizing inventorymay be reduced or eliminated.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, optimizinginventory includes accessing service level band sets. Each service levelband set is associated with a policy group, and includes service levelbands. Each service level band of a service level band set has a servicelevel priority with respect to any other service level bands of the sameservice level band set. An inventory band set is determined for eachservice level band set. Each inventory band set includes inventorybands, where each inventory band satisfies a corresponding service levelband assuming an unconstrained network. Each inventory band of aninventory band set has an inventory priority with respect to any otherinventory bands of the same inventory band set. A feasible supply chainplan that satisfies the inventory band sets is generated in order of theinventory priorities until a constrained network is depleted.

Certain embodiments of the invention may provide one or more technicaladvantages. For example, a technical advantage of certain embodiments isthat an optimized inventory that takes into account feasibilityconstraints may be calculated. As another example, a technical advantageof certain embodiments is that feasible customer service levels that maybe satisfied in light of feasibility constraints may be determined.Certain embodiments of the invention may include all, some, or none ofthe above technical advantages. One or more other technical advantagesmay be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the figures,descriptions, and claims included herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and itsfeatures and advantages, reference is now made to the followingdescription, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example supply chain thatreceives supplies from one or more suppliers and provides products toone or more customers;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example system for optimizinginventory in accordance with one or more feasibility constraints;

FIG. 3 is a table illustrating example service level band sets andexample inventory band sets; and

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for optimizinginventory in accordance with one or more feasibility constraints.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example supply chain 10 thatreceives supplies from one or more suppliers 12 and provides products toone or more customers 14. According to one embodiment, prioritizedservice level bands may be assigned to the entities of supply chain 10,and corresponding prioritized inventory bands may be calculated for theservice level bands. A feasible supply chain plan that satisfies theinventory bands in order of priority until a constrained network isdepleted may be calculated. Feasible customer service levels may bedetermined from the feasible supply chain plan.

Supply chain 10 may include any suitable number of nodes 16 and anysuitable number of arcs 18 configured in any suitable manner. Downstreamrefers to the direction from suppliers 12 to customers 14, and upstreamrefers to the direction from customers 14 to suppliers 12. In theillustrated example, supplier 12 supplies items to node 16 a, whichsupplies items to node 16 b. Node 16 b supplies items to node 16 c,which provides items to customer 14 a and also supplies items to nodes16 d and 16 e. Nodes 16 d and 16 e provide items to customers 14 b and84 c, respectively.

Supply chain 10 includes one or more starting nodes 16 upstream from oneor more ending nodes 16. Each starting node 16, in this example node 16a, receives items directly from one or more suppliers 12, possibly inaddition to items from one or more upstream nodes 16 that each receiveitems directly or indirectly from one or more suppliers 12. Each endingnode 16, in this example nodes 16 c-e, supplies items directly to one ormore customers 14, possibly in addition to items supplied to one or moredownstream nodes 16 that each supply items directly or indirectly to oneor more customers 14. A starting node 16 and an ending node 16 maydefine a path that includes starting node 16, ending node 16, and anyintermediate nodes 16 between starting node 16 and ending node 16.

An entity of a supply chain 10 may refer to, for example, an item, alocation, a channel, or any combination of the preceding of a supplychain. Items flow through supply chain 10 and may comprise, for example,parts, supplies, or services that may be used to generate products ormay comprise the products themselves. A location may refer to a node 16or an arc 18 of supply chain 10. A channel may relate to the nature of asale to a customer 14. Inventory on hand may refer to items stored atnodes 16 in order to cover demand and to manage supply risk.

Feasibility constraints 19 a-b constrain nodes 16 a-b, respectively. Afeasibility constraint 19 may refer to any suitable constraint thatrestricts a network, such as a capacity constraint that restricts theinventory on hand of nodes 16. Examples of feasibility constraints 19may include, for example, a constraint restricting the ability toprovide items to a node 16, a constraint restricting the ability tobuild items at a node 16, a constraint restricting the ability to storeitems at a node 16, or any other suitable feasibility constraint.Feasibility constraints 19 typically affect the amount of demand thatsupply chain 10 may satisfy. Accordingly, in a capacity constrainedenvironment, decisions may have to be made regarding which items tobuild, where to build each item, and how much of each item to build. Forexample, in certain situations it may be more advantageous to build someof all items, rather than all of one item but none of one or more otheritems.

Although supply chain 10 is illustrated as having a particular number ofsuppliers 12, customers 14, nodes 16, and arcs 18, any suitablemodifications, additions, or omissions may be made to supply chain 10without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, supplychain 10 may have more or fewer nodes 16 or arcs 18. As another example,node 16 a may supply items to node 16 c rather than to node 16 b. Asanother example, node 16 b may supply items directly to a customer 14.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example system 20 foroptimizing inventory III accordance with one or more feasibilityconstraints. According to one embodiment, system 20 may be used toassign service level bands to the entities of supply chain 10.Prioritized inventory bands may be calculated for the service levelbands. System 20 may determine a feasible supply chain plan thatsatisfies the inventory bands in order of priority until a constrainednetwork, such as a network with a constrained capacity, is depleted.Feasible customer service levels may be determined from the feasiblesupply chain plan.

According to the illustrated embodiment, system 20 includes a clientsystem 22, a server system 24, and a database 26 coupled as shown inFIG. 1. Client system 22 allows a user to communicate with server system24 to optimize inventory in supply chain 10 in accordance withfeasibility constraints. Server system 24 manages engines or otherapplications for optimizing inventory in supply chain 10 in accordancewith feasibility constraints. Database 26 includes any suitabledatabase, memory, or other data storage arrangement that stores datathat may be used by server system 24.

According to the illustrated embodiment, server system 24 includes oneor more processors 30 and one or more applications 32 coupled as shownin FIG. 1. Processors 30 manage the operation of server system 24, andmay comprise any device operable to accept input, process the inputaccording to predefined rules, and produce an output. In a particularembodiment, processors 30 may comprise parallel processors in adistributed processing environment.

According to the illustrated embodiment, applications 32 includes anoptimization engine 38 and a supply chain planning engine 40.Applications 32 may be configured to execute on processors 30 in anysuitable manner. As an example, applications 32 may execute on differentprocessors 30. As another example, a primary application 32 and itsbackup application 32 may execute on different processors 30.Optimization engine 38 optimizes the inventory at nodes 16 of supplychain 10. Inventory may be optimized to minimize on hand inventory thatsatisfies an input customer service level.

Supply chain planning engine 40 generates a supply chain plan for supplychain 10. According to one embodiment, supply chain planning engine 40generates a feasible supply chain plan that satisfies inventory bands inorder of priority until a constrained network is depleted. The supplychain plan may minimize violations while ensuring that a lower priorityinventory band is not satisfied at the expense of a higher priorityinventory band. The supply chain plan may report expected on handinventory for every combination of item, location, and channel for eachof a number of time periods. The supply chain plan may also designatethe type and number of items at each location of supply chain 10 at aspecific time, and the paths over which the items travel to reach thelocations.

Supply chain planning engine 40 generates a supply chain plan inaccordance with input. Input may include, for example, information aboutdemand, supply, or both. Demand information may include, for example, ademand forecast, work orders, work in progress, other information, orany combination of the preceding. Supply information may include, forexample, the amount of supply, the supply lead times, the supply risk,other information, or any combination of the preceding. Input may alsoinclude constraints. Constraints may include, for example, feasibilityconstraints, one or more other types of constraints, or any combinationof the preceding.

Client system 22 and server system 24 may each operate on one or morecomputers and may include appropriate input devices, output devices,mass storage media, processors, memory, or other components forreceiving, processing, storing, and communicating information accordingto the operation of system 20. As used in this document, the term“computer” refers to any suitable device operable to accept input,process the input according to predefined rules, and produce output.Client system 22, server system 24, and database 26 may be integrated orseparated according to particular needs. For example, the presentinvention contemplates the functions of both client system 22 and serversystem 24 being provided using a single computer system, such as asingle personal computer. As another example, database 26 may residewithin server system 24. If any combination of client system 22, serversystem 24, or database 26 are separated, they may be coupled to eachother using a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network(MAN), a wide area network (WAN), a global computer network such as theInternet, or any other appropriate wireline, optical, wireless, or otherlink.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to system 20 withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. For example, fewer or othercomponents may perform the operations of system 20. For example, theoperations of optimization engine 38 and supply chain planning engine 40may be performed by one component, or the operations of optimizationengine 38 may be performed by more than one component. Additionally,functions may be performed using any suitable logic comprising software,hardware, other logic, or any suitable combination of the preceding.

FIG. 3 is a table 80 illustrating example service level band sets andexample inventory band sets. A service level band may be used todesignate a range of service levels for a group of entities of supplychain 10. According to one embodiment, a group of entities may refer toa policy group, which comprises a set of entities, such as items,locations, channels, or any combination of the preceding, strategicallysegmented for a particular purpose. For example, a policy group mayrefer to a criticality group for which a service level policy isdefined.

A service level band may be described using a customer service level, alead time, one or more other parameters, or any combination of thepreceding. For example, a service level band may designate a servicelevel range of at least 80% on time satisfaction of demand. According toone embodiment, a set of one or more service level bands may be assignedto a group. A service level band set may include, for example, thefollowing service level bands assigned to a group: “at least 80%satisfaction” and “greater than 80% satisfaction.”

The service level bands of a service level band set may each have aservice level priority with respect to the other service level bands ofthe set. For example, the “at least 80% satisfaction” service level bandmay have a higher service level priority than that of the “greater than80% satisfaction” service level band.

Inventory band sets that include inventory bands may be calculated forthe service level band sets. An inventory band refers to a range ofinventory calculated to satisfy a corresponding service level band,assuming no feasibility constraints, for example, assuming anunconstrained network. An unconstrained network may refer to a networkthat is not subject to feasibility constraints, and may include anunconstrained capacity that is not subject to capacity constraints.

According to the illustrated embodiment, table 80 includes a groupcolumn 82, a service level band set column 84, a service level prioritycolumn 86, and an inventory band set column 88. In a particularembodiment, the groups of group column 82 are first defined, thenservice level band sets of service level band set column 84 are assignedto the groups, and then inventory band sets of inventory band set column88 that satisfy the service level band sets are calculated.

According to the illustrated embodiment, group column 82 lists groupsG_(i), where i=1, 2, and 3. In a particular embodiment, a group G_(i)may comprise a policy group. Service level band sets column 84 listsservice level band sets for groups G_(i). According to the illustratedembodiment, each group G_(i) is associated with a service level band setthat includes service level bands B_(j), where j=1, 2, and 3. In aparticular embodiment, a service level band B_(j) includes a range ofcustomer service levels. A service level band set may include anysuitable number of service level bands. Moreover, the service level bandsets of different groups G_(i) need not necessarily include the samenumber of service level bands. In a particular embodiment, potentialservice level bands may include a default band. Groups G_(i) that do nothave any other assigned service level band may have the default bandassigned to them. During initialization, the default band may beassigned to groups G_(i).

Service level priority column 86 designates the priorities of theservice level bands B_(j) of the service level band sets. According tothe illustrated embodiment, a service level band B₁ has a highestpriority, a service level band B₂ has an intermediate priority, andservice level band B₃ has a lowest priority. A highest priority servicelevel band may refer to the range of customer service levels that mustbe satisfied. An intermediate priority may refer to a range of customerservice levels that are targeted but not required. A lowest priority mayrefer to higher customer service levels that would be nice to have, butare not required or targeted. The service level priorities of theservice level bands of a service level band set need not necessarilycorrespond to the service level priorities of the service level bands ofanother service level band set. For example, service level prioritiesfor one service level band set may include highest, intermediate, andlowest priorities, while the service level priorities of another servicelevel band set may include priorities 1, 2, 3, and 4, where 1 designatesthe highest priority.

Inventory band sets column 88 lists inventory band sets that arecalculated to satisfy the service levels of the corresponding servicelevel band sets. According to the illustrated embodiment, an inventoryband set includes inventory bands I_(j), where j=1, 2, and 3. Aninventory band I_(j) is calculated to satisfy service level band B_(j).According to the illustrated embodiment, an inventory band I_(j)includes a range of the number of units that is calculated to satisfythe range of customer service levels, assuming an unconstrained network.An inventory band may be expressed using any suitable parameter, forexample, a reorder point, a safety stock value, a minimum lead timedelay value, any other suitable parameter, or any combination of thepreceding. An inventory band may have an inventory priority that matchesthe service level priority of the service level band that the inventoryband satisfies. For example, the inventory priorities for the inventorybands satisfying a highest priority service level band and a lowestpriority service level band may be highest and lowest, respectively.

Alterations or permutations such as modifications, additions, oromissions may be made to table 80 without departing from the scope ofthe invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for optimizinginventory in accordance with one or more feasibility constraints. Themethod begins at step 100, where groups of entities are defined. Thegroups may comprise, for example, groups G_(j) of table 80. Servicelevel band sets are assigned to the groups at step 102. The servicelevel band sets for a group include prioritized service level bands thatdesignate the service levels for the group. The service level band setsmay comprise, for example, the service level band sets of table 80.Optimization engine 38 determines inventory band sets for the servicelevel band sets, assuming unconstrained network, at step 104. Aninventory band satisfies a corresponding service level band, assumingunconstrained network. The inventory band sets may comprise, forexample, the inventory band sets of table 80.

The highest priority inventory band of each inventory band set that hasnot been previously selected is selected at step 108. As an example,inventory bands I₁ of table 80 are selected. Supply chain planningengine 40 generates a current supply chain plan for the selectedinventory bands, assuming a network constrained by feasibilityconstraints, at step 112. Supply chain planning engine 40 determines howwell the generated supply chain plan satisfies the currently selectedinventory band and a previously selected higher priority inventory bandat step 116. The measure of how well a supply chain plan satisfies aninventory band may be determined by how much the supply chain planviolates the inventory band. The more a supply chain plan violates theinventory band, the less satisfactory is the supply chain plan. A supplychain plan may violate an inventory band by not providing inventorywithin the range of the inventory band or by not providing the inventorywithin a specified period. For example, a supply chain plan may violatean inventory band by being ten percent short on inventory. According toone embodiment, the insufficiency of the inventory may be required tomeet a specified tolerance threshold before being considered aviolation.

If there are remaining inventory bands to be selected at step 128, themethod proceeds to step 122, where the satisfaction of the currentinventory band is added as a constraint for the next inventory band. Forexample, the satisfaction of a supply chain plan being ten percent shorton inventory may be added as a constraint. The method then returns tostep 108, where a next inventory band is selected. If there are noremaining inventory bands at step 128, the method proceeds to step 132,where a supply chain plan is selected. A supply chain plan may beselected in accordance with how well the supply chain plan satisfies theinventory bands. For example, a supply chain plan that minimizesviolations while ensuring that a lower priority inventory band is notsatisfied at the expense of a higher priority inventory band may beselected.

Optimization engine 38 calculates the expected service levels from theselected supply chain plan at step 136. The expected service level takesinto account feasibility constraints. Accordingly, the expected servicelevel may be more accurate than service levels calculated based on anunconstrained network. After calculating the expected service levels,the method terminates.

Alterations or permutations such as modifications, additions, oromissions may be made to the method without departing from the scope ofthe invention. The method may include more, fewer, or other steps. Forexample, supply chain planning engine 40 may select a tier from ahierarchical priority scheme at step 108. During one or more iterationsof the method, the selected tier may comprise the highest priorityinventory band of each inventory band set not previously selected asdescribed in the illustrated embodiment. During one or more otheriterations, another type of tier may be selected. For example, othertypes of tiers may represent inventory for certain customers, inventoryfor booked demand, lowest confidence demand, highest confidence demand,any other suitable parameter, or any combination of the preceding.Additionally, steps may be performed in any suitable order withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

Certain embodiments of the invention may provide one or more technicaladvantages. For example, a technical advantage of certain embodiments isthat an optimized inventory that takes into account feasibilityconstraints may be calculated. As another example, a technical advantageof certain embodiments is that feasible customer service levels that maybe satisfied in light of feasibility constraints may be determined.Certain embodiments of the invention may include all, some, or none ofthe above technical advantages. One or more other technical advantagesmay be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the figures,descriptions, and claims included herein.

Although an embodiment of the invention and its advantages are describedin detail, a person skilled in the art could make various alterations,additions, and omissions without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention as defined by the appended claims.

To aid the Patent Office and any readers of any patent issued on thisapplication in interpreting the claims appended hereto, applicants wishto note that they do not intend any of the appended claims to invoke 35U.S.C. § 112, paragraph six, as it exists on the date of filing hereofunless the words “means for” or “step for” are used in the particularclaim.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a database that stores twoor more service level band sets, each service level band set beingassociated with a policy group, each service level band set comprisingtwo or more service level bands, each service level band of a servicelevel band set having a service level priority with respect to any otherservice level bands of the same service level band set; and a computersystem coupled to the database and configured to: access the two or moreservice level band sets stored in the database; access two or moresupply chain entities stored in the database, the two or more supplychain entities comprising at least one starting entity and at least oneending entity, wherein the at least one starting entity receives itemsdirectly from one or more suppliers and supplies items to the at leastone ending entity, and the at least one ending entity supplies itemsdirectly to at least one customer; determine an inventory band set foreach service level band set, each inventory band set comprising two ormore inventory bands, each inventory band satisfying a correspondingservice level band assuming an unconstrained network, each inventoryband of an inventory band set having an inventory priority with respectto any other inventory bands of the inventory band set; restrict anetwork of the two or more supply chain entities with a feasibilityconstraint that constrains the two or more supply chain entities; andgenerate a feasible supply chain plan that satisfies the inventory bandsets in order of the inventory priorities until a constrained network isdepleted.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system isfurther configured to: select a current inventory band of each inventoryband set in accordance with the inventory priority of the currentinventory band; generate a current supply chain plan that satisfies thecurrent inventory band and any previously selected inventory band; andidentify the feasible supply chain plan in accordance with thedetermination.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the computer system isfurther configured to select an inventory band having the highestinventory priority of the inventory bands not previously selected froman inventory band set as the current inventory band by selecting thecurrent inventory band of each inventory band set in accordance with theinventory priority of the current inventory band.
 4. The system of claim2, wherein the computer system is further configured to identify thefeasible supply chain plan in accordance with the determination byadding a satisfaction of the current inventory band to a constraint setconstraining the constrained network for a next inventory band.
 5. Thesystem of claim 2, wherein the computer system is further configured toidentify the current supply chain plan as the feasible supply chain planwhen the current supply chain plan minimizes violation of the currentinventory band and the previously selected inventory band to identifythe feasible supply chain plan in accordance with the determination. 6.The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is further configuredto establish an expected service level for the policy group inaccordance with the feasible supply chain plan.
 7. The system of claim1, wherein the computer system is further configured to: define thepolicy group; and assign a service level band set to the policy group.8. A computer-implemented method, comprising: accessing at least oneprioritized service level band associated with a policy group andassigned to at least one of two or more supply chain entities of asupply chain network, the two or more entities comprising at least onestarting entity and at least one ending entity, wherein the at least onestarting entity receives items directly from one or more suppliers andsupplies items to the at least one ending entities, and the at least oneending entity supplies items directly to at least one customer;assessing at least one feasibility constraint that constrains the two ormore supply chain entities by restricting a network of the two or moresupply chain entities; calculating two or more prioritized inventorybands corresponding with the at least one prioritized service levelband; and generating a feasible supply chain plan that satisfies theprioritized inventory bands in order of priority until a constrainednetwork is depleted.
 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8,wherein the feasibility constraint comprises a capacity constraint thatrestricts inventory on hand of the two or more supply chain entities.10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the feasibilityconstraint comprises a constraint restricting the ability to store itemsat one of the two or more supply chain entities.
 11. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the feasibilityconstraint comprises a constraint that restricts the ability to provideitems to one of the two or more supply chain entities.
 12. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium embodied with software, thesoftware when executed using one or more computers is configured to:access at least one prioritized service level band associated with apolicy group and assigned to at least one of two or more supply chainentities of a supply chain network, the two or more entities comprisingat least one starting entity and at least one ending entity, wherein theat least one starting entity receives items directly from one or moresuppliers and supplies items to the at least one ending entities, andthe at least one ending entity supplies items directly to at least onecustomer; assess at least one feasibility constraint that constrains thetwo or more supply chain entities by restricting a network of the two ormore supply chain entities; calculate two or more prioritized inventorybands corresponding with the at least one prioritized service levelband; and generate a feasible supply chain plan that satisfies theprioritized inventory bands in order of priority until a constrainednetwork is depleted.
 13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim12, wherein the feasibility constraint comprises a capacity constraintthat restricts inventory on hand of the two or more supply chainentities.
 14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, whereinthe feasibility constraint comprises a constraint restricting theability to store items at one of the two or more supply chain entities.15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein thefeasibility constraint comprises a constraint that restricts the abilityto provide items to one of the two or more supply chain entities.